Looking Forward to Literature Festivals in Wales – 2018

Wales is full of literary events, book fairs and writing festivals, from the very small to the very large, and in almost every corner of the country… we love to celebrate literature in all its forms. So here’s a list of all the literary / book festivals taking place in Wales during 2018.

Please use the comments below to add information about any festivals which I have missed out, and I’ll continue to update this post throughout the year.

Cornerstone’s Seren Poetry Festival

16th-18th February in Cardiff

Organised by Seren Books and held at the iconic Cornerstone building, this will be an exciting weekend packed with poetry. Here’s a quote from Amy Wack:

“Jonathan Edwards kicks off the festival, reading from his Costa-prize winning poetry collection. Also on the Friday evening is a music/poetry event with Paul Henry and ‘Stornoway’ front man Brian Briggs with ‘The Glass Aisle’ performance inspired by the Monmouthshire/Brecon canal. Saturday features a ‘New Poets’ showcase with authors such as Emily Blewitt and Susie Wild.”

This popular festival is now in its 6th year, providing two full weeks of family-friendly events featuring well-known authors, illustrators and storytellers. It includes a number of events in Welsh, as well as events in English. Visit their website here.

An annual celebration of all things Dylan Thomas. Anyone can organise their own event as part of this festival. Previous events have included live art, poetry readings, competitions and workshops. Visit the website for more details.

The Hay Festival

24th May-3rd June in Hay-on-Wye, Powys

The Hay Festival is one of the UK’s biggest literary festivals, with off-shoots on other continents and a full programme featuring not just fiction but also politics, poetry, economics, history, non-fiction, drama and children’s events. I would definitely recommend stewarding at Hay, especially if you’d love to visit the festival but have a limited budget. Visit the website for more details.

As well as the usual festival, there will be a series of events running over the summer as part of Llansteffan’s Village of Culture year. Featured writers will include Angela V John, Peter Lord, Huw Davies and Horatio Clare. Keep an eye on the Parthian website for more details.

A festival to celebrate the work of poet R.S. Thomas and artist M.E. Eldridge. Visit their website for more details.

Llangwm Literary Festival

10th-12th August in Llangwm, Pembrokeshire

Here’s a quote from the organiser: “The overriding theme is Europe, but we’ve got loads of local talent, lots for kids including Bushcraft, foraging etc. And we have Phoebe Smith, editor of Wanderlust magazine running a travel writing workshop and talking about her amazing books.” More details to be released nearer the time on their website.